Prehistoric
Prehistoric
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Prehistoric specializes in the worlds finest fossils, minerals, and meteorites.. Come face to face with our animatronic baby trex as it comes to life. Break your own geode machine and a large kids educational toy area. Price ranges from 1 dollar to millions of dollars. We have spared no expense to offer an experience that is so totally different from your normal rock shop. All of our pocket stones are hand polished to give a higher polish and more natural shape. Our fossils are all originals from all over the world. Many clients stumble with what to call this wonderful place... Store, Gallery, Museum.. Well it is all of those things and more. Prehistoric also takes great pride in offering free classes and donations to schools all over the country. We have in our first 4 months of business reached over 500 students and children. We are very proud to be a part of this community..
Suggested duration
< 1 hour
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  • Locus1974
    Gladstone, Oregon56 contributions
    If you like prehistoric fossils, you won’t want to leave town without stopping here
    This is a very cool little place with plenty to see and some affordable things to take home. We have been told for several years now, that we need to stop in and see this place. If you like rocks, crystals, geodes, and most importantly, prehistoric fossils, you should really stop in. This place has has some amazing pieces to see and some affordable pieces to take home. The store doesn’t charge to come in and see the large pieces and show pieces. Let’s be honest, most of us aren’t shopping for a $25,000 piece of prehistoric wall art, or a $20,000 table of solid petrified wood, but they are pretty impressive. Go in and look around, and if you can, buy something small and affordable just to say thank you for not charging admission to see the big pieces, and to help keep these kinds of places around. The lady workin, I assumed it was the owner but didn’t ask to verify, was very nice and was more than happy to tell us about some of the large pieces, where they come from, and how they are excavated and end up here in Oregon halfway around the world.
    Visited February 2020
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 11, 2020
  • Dan W
    Portland, Oregon1,988 contributions
    Fascinating
    This is a great attraction, part museum and part rock shop. Their displays are very interesting and all of their inventory is well curated. I took my grandchildren on a weekend visit and they were fascinated the entire time. SO much to look at and so much to consider buying - realistically for any budget.
    Visited January 2021
    Written February 4, 2021
  • johnarama
    Portland, Oregon76 contributions
    The best shop on 101 in Lincoln City!
    This is my favorite place to stop to shop in Lincoln City. Very interesting place to browse as an adult, with everything from fossils to crystals to jewelry made of meteoric glass or a three-headed rattlesnake taxidermy, there is always something interesting and unusual to find here. Kids can pan for gold or break geodes as well, and there are educational toys and gifts for curious kids, so there is something for people of all ages here. Great place to stop and look for gifts for the person in your life who is interested in science/paleontology/geology.
    Visited November 2021
    Written November 28, 2021
  • Dan W
    Portland, Oregon1,988 contributions
    Like Taking a Field Trip
    I take my grand daughters here every time we visit. There is much to discover and learn with each and every opportunity. Prices are in the higher side but it’s still within a reasonable budget to leave with something new and splendid
    Visited May 2021
    Traveled with family
    Written May 6, 2021
  • Turnkey56
    Tacoma, Washington855 contributions
    What a Cool Place.
    I had driven by this place a few times over the years and finally went inside. It was an interesting and educational place with lots of prehstoric artifacts and fossils. Even purchase a fossil that was priced reasonably. They provided cards to explain what type of fossil so that was a bonus and shows that the owners are responsive to their customers.
    Visited January 2020
    Written January 20, 2020
  • Fortuosity13
    Lake Oswego, Oregon19 contributions
    Cool for the whole family.
    Great place if you like rocks, gems and fossils. You can break a Geode, pan for gold, and pick up your favorite gem. And if you’re a dinosaur fan, this is the place for you. TW: there are taxidermy animals inside.
    Visited June 2021
    Traveled with friends
    Written June 9, 2021
  • Bec H
    5 contributions
    Rockhound's Paradise
    Take your little rockhounds to Prehistoric! From the animatronic T-Rex to the large selection of polished rocks and shells, this place is fun for all ages. Part store, part museum, there's something for everyone. Don't pass this one by when you visit Lincoln City!
    Visited December 2020
    Written January 4, 2021
  • rockhound13
    200 contributions
    Over priced Fossils with a few interesting items to draw you in the dorr
    Came here with high expectations a s it was recommended to me by an area fossil collector. Went into sticker shock compared to other area rock shops. They carry some nice fossils but felt the store uninviting
    Visited February 2022
    Written February 21, 2022
  • Andrea R
    Portland, Oregon237 contributions
    Do you need a gift for someone who enjoys rocks and fossils? Stop here!
    This place is amazing! Lots of finished shiny rocks and cool fossils. Need Dino poop as a joke? There is so much to see, and lots you can touch. In the lower part of the store, you can "pan for rock goodies." Looks like a fun activity for Jr Rockhounds in the making. Lovely jewelry, too. Go have fun, enjoy your visit. Cheers
    Visited January 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 7, 2023
  • GitchSup
    Duluth, Minnesota1,469 contributions
    A really fun store for all ages
    What a fun store! Even my husband who hates shopping enjoyed this stop. There is a lot to see and for someone who is a rock hound, this is a treasure trove. Kids would love seeing the items in the store, but there are a lot of things that are off limits for touching so be aware of those restrictions. I really enjoyed stopping here on our rainy afternoon adventure.
    Visited May 2022
    Written August 15, 2022
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.5
320 reviews
Excellent
218
Very good
66
Average
22
Poor
10
Terrible
4

Dan W
Portland, OR1,988 contributions
May 2021 • Family
I take my grand daughters here every time we visit. There is much to discover and learn with each and every opportunity. Prices are in the higher side but it’s still within a reasonable budget to leave with something new and splendid
Written May 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Turnkey56
Tacoma, WA855 contributions
Jan 2020
I had driven by this place a few times over the years and finally went inside. It was an interesting and educational place with lots of prehstoric artifacts and fossils. Even purchase a fossil that was priced reasonably. They provided cards to explain what type of fossil so that was a bonus and shows that the owners are responsive to their customers.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fortuosity13
Lake Oswego, OR19 contributions
Jun 2021 • Friends
Great place if you like rocks, gems and fossils. You can break a Geode, pan for gold, and pick up your favorite gem. And if you’re a dinosaur fan, this is the place for you. TW: there are taxidermy animals inside.
Written June 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bec H
5 contributions
Dec 2020
Take your little rockhounds to Prehistoric! From the animatronic T-Rex to the large selection of polished rocks and shells, this place is fun for all ages. Part store, part museum, there's something for everyone. Don't pass this one by when you visit Lincoln City!
Written January 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rockhound13
utah200 contributions
Feb 2022
Came here with high expectations a s it was recommended to me by an area fossil collector. Went into sticker shock compared to other area rock shops. They carry some nice fossils but felt the store uninviting
Written February 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrea R
Portland, OR237 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
This place is amazing! Lots of finished shiny rocks and cool fossils. Need Dino poop as a joke? There is so much to see, and lots you can touch. In the lower part of the store, you can "pan for rock goodies." Looks like a fun activity for Jr Rockhounds in the making. Lovely jewelry, too.
Go have fun, enjoy your visit.
Cheers
Written January 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GitchSup
Duluth, MN1,469 contributions
May 2022
What a fun store! Even my husband who hates shopping enjoyed this stop. There is a lot to see and for someone who is a rock hound, this is a treasure trove. Kids would love seeing the items in the store, but there are a lot of things that are off limits for touching so be aware of those restrictions. I really enjoyed stopping here on our rainy afternoon adventure.
Written August 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barbara C
Salem, OR12 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
We have no idea why this place is rated as excellent on this list. It is literally a high priced gift shop. I was scared to death I would break something. I cannot imagine taking a child in there! Definitely not worth going in unless you have lots of money to spend.
Written March 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First of all i want to thank you for at least stopping in at Prehistoric. I have been preparing to open Prehistoric for 20 years. I have 16 degrees all relating to natural history, gemology, business management and a few others. A gift shop is really not the right description for what we do. Prehistoric offers some of the worlds finest minerals, meteorites, and fossils many will ever see. Our dinosaur tail in the front window is one of the most complete Camarasaurus dinosaur tails ever found. Our selection is 100% earth history. I am very sorry you were disappointed with what we offer, but because your tastes don't include Natural History it doesn't make us a poor visit. I have educated for FREE over 1000 students since opening last May and I am very proud of what we offer our community and our guests on a daily basis for free. I donate thousands of products and dollars a year for every local charity and schools. I generally stay very professional with negative comments, but I must be firm on this response because your comments were very off base and unfounded. I hope some day you can come back to Prehistoric and look at the gallery as many do and enjoy the RARE species and artifacts we have on display. Most museums don't offer the quality and or quantity of genuine pieces that we do.
Written March 4, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

travelgalTacoma
Tacoma35 contributions
Sep 2021
This a really cool and fun place to spend an hour or two and pick up a few interesting gifts. I would have given them five stars except for one thing: apparently in this store, Covid does not exist. In defiance of Oregon mandate, the staff does not wear masks nor do they require masks in the store; there is no attempt made at social distancing and neither is there any hand sanitizer available, even though sorting through some of the offerings for sale require a lot of touching. Thankfully most (but not all) of the patrons when we were there were wearing masks, but it was very weird. We were quite uncomfortable and tried our best to stay socially distanced but this was impossible with the staff.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

velda57
Pendleton, OR140 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
There were people and unsupervised children throughout the store. People were purchasing items and kids were blocking the entrance because of the dinosaur at the door. This place is all about selling merchandise, and the tourists were purchasing. I question the authenticity of these items, and any true anthropologist would give more history and credibility to such rarities. This place is about glitz and expense with little historical reference, i.e., not a museum or cultural center.
Written June 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Although I feel your review is way off base, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit Prehistoric. I have spent over 20 years acquiring the items you flippantly are questioning authenticity on. I can assure you that I collect only the top 5% of the rarest and best specimens, including the kids items. Anthropology is the study of human cultures and evolution, Prehistoric is a natural history collection of fossils, minerals, and meteorites. My 16 degrees should show just how much credibility i put towards our collection. I don't collect or sell Indian Artifacts at all. We have been fortunate enough to educate over 1000 kids over the past year at zero cost to anyone but me. So education and preserving the history of my items is very important to me. Obviously the store was very busy and there was a lot of excitement while you were here so I am sorry you weren't able to experience the gallery without having so many distractions. Lame is a very harsh adjective to describe something that is truly a life passion of mine and I hope that you will be able to come back with an open mind and enjoy our fabulous items without distraction. doug
Written June 19, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Prehistoric - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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Prehistoric is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM



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